The order of the flags; with one’s back turned towards the flagpole

The protocol of the flags is a reflection of the préséance. The flags hang in the same order. In laying down flag protocol one stands with one’s back turned towards the flagpole. Middle is 1, right 2 and left 3. National flags hang in order of the French alphabet. Commercial flags do not come under protocol. A flag is only raised if the flag is represented by a person. In the Netherlands, the Dutch flag is always number 1.